


It’s Christmas Eve (and they can see we’re in love)

by LikeMeReckless



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-24
Updated: 2019-12-24
Packaged: 2021-02-18 07:08:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 17,767
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21940198
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LikeMeReckless/pseuds/LikeMeReckless
Summary: When Alice Cooper shames Betty for being 25 and alone on Christmas, Veronica sparks the idea of a faux-beau for the holidays in the form of none other than Jughead Jones.
Relationships: Archie Andrews/Veronica Lodge, Betty Cooper/Jughead Jones
Comments: 48
Kudos: 148
Collections: 6th Bughead Fanfiction Awards - Nominees, Bughead Secret Santa, Home for the HoliDale





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Happy Holidays!! This fic was crafted with Bughead love for @catthecoder! For Bughead Secret Santa she requested a trope fest of fake dating with a healthy dose of pining sprinkled on top!
> 
> If you haven’t already, check out @catthecoder stories on AO3 as well! She’s super talented!
> 
> I owe tons and tons of thanks to @jandjsalmon. Her editing is the absolute best and she made so many wonderful suggestions to help enhance this faux-beau holiday tale! 
> 
> Find me on Tumblr @likemereckless
> 
> I hope you enjoy!

**"Christmas Eve"-Celine Dion**

**Snow falling gently to the ground**

**'Tis is the night before**

**And in my heart there is no doubt**

**That this is gonna be**

**The brightest holiday**

**'Cause here you are with me**

**Baby, baby, I can't wait**

**To spend this special time of year with someone who**

**Makes me feel the special way that you do**

**Walkin' with you in a winter's snow**

**Kissin' underneath the mistletoe**

**People smiling everywhere we go**

**It's Christmas Eve and they can see we're in love**

**Ooh, you make the season bright**

**With the lights reflecting in your eyes**

**All my dreams are comin' true tonight**

**It's Christmas Eve and I can see we're in love**

**Saturday, December 21st**

The tea kettle whistled in the background, the shrill sound tightening the already corkscrewed tension in her shoulders as she pinched the bridge of her nose and squeezed her eyes shut tightly. Betty’s phone lay face down on the counter, exactly where she slammed it after hanging up with her mother only moments earlier.

It had been a relaxing Saturday up until that point. She had worked on an article for the New York Post, her current newspaper of employment, watched Christmas Vacation for the millionth time, and enjoyed some festive holiday coffee brew that Jughead had proudly brought home earlier in the week. Then, her phone rang.

Betty was twenty five. She was a grown woman with her own apartment, a fledgling career, and life goals that were all headed upwards. She was happy. She felt good about herself. That is, until she spoke with her mother. 

“Betts?” Jughead called from his doorway. His face was etched with concern as he took in her tension and pained expression. Tentatively, he stepped forward to pull the kettle off the stove before turning to lean against the counter to face her.

“Trying to use the kettle whistle to summon all the homeless cats in New York for a holiday meal?” he joked in what he hoped was a light, teasing tone.

“That would make sense,” Betty groaned, finally dropping her hand from her face before promptly stepping forward and laying her cheek across his chest, her arms gripping his neck in a tight hug. “My mother thinks I’m an old, graying cat lady so I might as well make her vision come true.”

His arms easily wrapped around her tiny frame and he squeezed her tightly, his chin resting atop her head. Over the course of their lengthy friendship, Betty had tried many different ways to cope with stress and tension. Some, like yoga and jogging, worked in her favor. Other ways were less than desirable. 

At some point in college, they had discovered that tight embraces could help alleviate her tension immediately. Whenever Jughead saw her about to lose control, he’d squish her into him and hold on for dear life. Such was their relationship; always a give and take bonded out of deep understanding and mutual respect.

His hugs had gotten her through pressing deadlines, flack from her boss, and even anxiety attacks induced by Alice Cooper’s incessant nit-picking. They’d been more helpful and frequent in the past two years after Veronica moved out to live with Archie and Jughead had become her new roommate. It was only logical; he lived with Archie, she lived with Veronica, and the two of them had been friends since they were kids. It was an easy swap and she didn’t have to vet Craigslist roommates for serial killer tendencies or weird teapot fetishes. 

After a few moments, he felt her body slacken a bit beneath him and she sighed deeply, pulling back and offering him a small smile of thanks.

“Go flop on the couch, Betts,” he suggested softly, tucking a wispy piece of blonde hair that came loose from her usual tight ponytail back behind her ear. “I’ll bring you some tea.”

Betty was in no mood to argue that she was capable of pouring tea. She didn’t have to be strong with Jughead. She could let go of everything and let him take care of her without him thinking less of her. Alice Cooper had brought her up to never show weakness but she didn’t have to hide things from him. In fact, her mother would probably scold her if she saw Betty willingly accept his gentle command while she laid back into the cushiony upholstery and pulled a thick woolen blanket over herself.

Taking the seat next to her, Jughead handed her a steaming mug of chamomile and held one for himself as well.

“So,” he began with a pointed look. “What, pray tell, did Alice Cooper have to say this time to get you so tightly wound?”

Betty took a sip of her tea, letting the soothing scent waft into her nose and the calming effect of the warmth emanate through her before gearing up to speak.

“My mom has been so good lately, Jug. She’s been proud of my career success and my choices and we’ve been getting along. I guess her attitude today just took me off guard,” she explained, pausing to take another sip of the piping hot liquid in front of her. “She called to ask me about Christmas and if I’d be coming home.”

Jughead pursed his lips and squinted his eyes in confusion. 

“We always go to Riverdale for Christmas,” he said baffled. “Why would she think you weren’t coming home this year?”

Betty picked at her cuticles, her hands wringing back and forth in the thick threading of the blanket. Her eyes lay focussed on her hands and not on him when she spoke.

“She wanted to know if I was coming home alone,” she finally choked out, her voice laced with anger and something else he couldn't put his finger on. “As always.”

Sitting back against the cushions more fully and mimicking her posture, Jughead finally understood. There had been a quiet lull lately on the Alice Cooper front, kind of like a volcano. You wanted to think the mountain had gone extinct, but you knew it was just dormant, waiting in silence until it was ready to erupt and destroy another city.

Jughead wasn’t sure what to say. He knew Alice was proud of Betty’s professional aspirations and achievements so it was only a matter of time before she set in on her personal life.

“Betty,” he finally spoke gently, prying her hands out of the cream fabric of the blanket that she was slowly shredding. “You know your mother HAS to have something to complain about at all times or she’s not happy. This is just another ploy to control you and shape you into something she wants to you to be rather than who you really are.”

“Maybe,” Betty huffed out with a small wince. “But the thing is, she’s not wrong this time, Jug. I am going home, alone, yet again. I focus so much on my work and before The Post, it was my studies and internships and now I-”

She sighed and looked up at him, making eye contact for the first time. “I don’t even know where to start anymore, Jug. I haven’t even been on a date in… two years? Oh my God! It’s been two years!”

Betty buried her face in her hands, her face flushed with embarrassment and realization.

“I really am going to be an old withered cat lady just like my mom said,” she sighed.

Before he could respond, three sharp knocks, the signal of the one and only Veronica Lodge, were delivered to their door.

“I’ll get it,” he said before placing his mug on a coaster and heading to open the door.

“Yuletide Greetings!” Veronica grinned brightly, holding out a colorfully wrapped package towards him as he opened the door.

“Christmas is still four days away, Santa,” he teased, used to Veronica’s chipper disposition and random present delivery.

“Oh, this is NOT your Christmas gift,” she said in disbelief as she pushed her way into her old apartment. “This is simply me spreading tidings of good joy… and tequila.”

“Tequila?” Betty perked up from the blanket she was crouched under. “Send that my way, V.”

Veronica looked at Betty’s slumped, sad, and disheveled form before looking over to Jughead for explanation.

“Alice Cooper,” he mouthed silently, receiving a look back from Veronica that said, ‘Say no more.’

Yanking the bottle back from his arms, she tore open the green and red wrapping before tossing an intimidating look his way.

“You get the glasses, Jones,” she demanded.

“Screw the glasses,” they heard from the living room as Betty emerged from her blanket cocoon. “Just bring the bottle.”

Jughead shot Veronica a look that said, ‘I told you so,’ as Veronica whispered, “That bad, huh?”

Smoothing back her hair, and dropping her coat on a kitchen chair, Veronica headed into the living room, her good friend Jose tucked under her arm. 

“Talk first or tequila?” Veronica asked her best friend.

Betty quirked a brow as if to ask if she was serious before extending her arm towards the bottle. Twisting the cap off, she took a long swig, the burning sensation in her throat and the slight stinging pain felt good. After a moment she pulled back and handed the bottle back to Veronica.

“Damn girl,” she said impressed. “I’m not taking a swig like that.” 

Taking a more ladylike sip, she passed the bottle towards Jughead with a threatening look.

“Drink up, Jones,” she warned him. “Bettykins needs us kindred spirits with shitty parents on her level right now to kick back and relax.”

They went back and forth for a while, taking sips of tequila and talking about everything and nothing. While Betty and Veronica had been imbibing heavily, a few times Jug had pressed the bottle to his lips without drinking. He figured someone would need to take care of their hungover asses later on.

“Channel, Betty!” Veronica exclaimed. “The clueless intern called the Chanel samples for our spring shoot _Channel_!” 

Betty giggled at her friend’s astonishment and the fact that a fashion intern would make such a mistake. 

“So what did you do, V?” Betty laughed.

“I fired him!” she yelled, before collapsing into a fit of giggles with Betty.

Jughead watched with wry amusement as they lay over each other, bodies shaking with laughter. Their giggles began to subside, but as soon as they looked at one another, they relapsed into another fit of quakes.

If this had been random girls at a bar, Jughead would have been turned off. But this wasn’t a random girl, it was Betty. He admired the arch of her neck and her jawline as she tossed her head back in laughter and couldn’t help but smile back, happy to see the sadness from earlier replaced with such warmth and mirth.

“Ooohhhh,” Veronica breathed, fanning herself and wiping a tear from her eye before looking over at Betty. “Okay, B. Spill. Why I am getting mid-day tequila drunk thanks to Mama Cooper.”

With a roll of her eyes, Betty took another sip out of the bottle.

“Mama Cooper thinks I should be getting laid,” Betty spoke flatly, her declaration causing Jughead to momentarily choke on a tortilla chip from the bowl he had placed out early to help offset the rapid alcohol consumption.

“I mean,” Veronica said tentatively, “she’s not wrong, B.”

Betty’s eyes snapped up to meet her friend’s as did Jughead’s.

“V!” Betty said in exasperation and disbelief. “You’re supposed to be on my side!”

“Oh girl,” she frowned, tugging lightly on the end of Betty’s ponytail. “I _am_ on your side.”

Betty arched her eyebrows and folded her arms across her chest in clear disagreement with Veronica’s statement.

“Hear me out, Betty,” she reasoned. “You’re young, successful, and a total smokeshow, right Jug?”

“Huh?” he intoned towards her, putting the bottle of tequila to his lips and taking an actual gulp this time.

“I said, Betty’s a hottie, right?” she asked again.

From behind the bottle he saw Betty’s posture change. She tightened up a bit, even with all the alcohol coursing through her bloodstream, and began to fidget with the string of her pajama pants, a trademark move regarding her nerves.

_Does she not think she’s beautiful?_ He wondered to himself. _Does she think I don’t notice her?_

Jughead cleared his throat a bit and put the bottle down on the coffee table, the amber liquid that was still left inside was barely enough for two shots.

“Of course Betty’s beautiful,” he replied to Veronica, his eyes glued to Betty as he spoke. “You have to know you’re gorgeous, Betts.”

Betty smiled shyly, a pink flush creeping its way from her chest up her neck and finally spreading across her cheeks.

_It’s the tequila_ he told himself.

“See, V!” Ronnie giggled at her friend. “Even Mr. Dark and Broody over here can’t resist your glowing, angelic self! So, here’s what we do… We get you a boyfriend to take home to Mama C!”

“V, I don’t-” Betty began, her words muffled by Jughead’s voice talking alongside hers as well.

“Now, hold on-” he had begun to say to Veronica in dispute.

“Hear me out! You find a fun little side piece who will put Mama C’s fire down to a simmer and get a little something something out of it in the process!” Veronica chirped excitedly.

Betty gnawed on her lip and let Veronica's words sink in. It sounded a bit pathetic; find a guy to be her pretend boyfriend for the holidays. And anyway, what kind of guy would skip his own family festivities to go home to meet her crazy family. She shook her head and told Veronica exactly that.

Jughead released a breath he had been holding. He usually spent a good amount of time with the Cooper’s over the holiday break and nothing would jingle his bells more than watching her tongue some neanderthal phony who was hoping to stuff her stocking to make himself a holly jolly Christmas.

Just as he thought the discussion was over, Veronica spoke again.

A devious light glinted in her eye and he knew nothing good was going to come from what she was about to suggest.

“Or,” Veronica drawled out, “you could ask someone you already do know. Someone who will be close by and who you would feel comfortable with.”

Betty pursed her lips and looked at her quizzically, the alcohol making her detective skills a bit slower than usual.

“V, who would…” she asked confused, realization dawning on her face as he watched V’s eyes dance from hers over to Jughead’s, hers landing on his face as well.

Jughead had been stared at his whole life. First, he was a small, elementary-aged boy, being stared at on the playground for his ill-fitting, frayed hand-me-downs. Later, he was stared at for being a moody Donnie Darko with his nose stuck in a book. Towards the latter part of his teen years people had stared because of his leather Serpents jacket and that snake tattoo on his upper arm. He was used to being stared at but he had never been as intimidated by those stares as he was at that moment.

“Jughead?” Veronica said, a dangerous cheshire cat grin etching its way across her face.

“Veronica,” he warned her, “I don’t think-”

“You don’t think what?” she countered. “You don’t think Betty deserves to have Alice off her back? You don’t think she deserves a Christmas without Alice tossing digs at her and trying to set her up with chiropractors and acupuncturists from around the neighborhood?”

Jughead couldn’t respond. He dragged his gaze away from Veronica’s calculating one and over to Betty’s to meet her hopeful and worried stare. There was something stirring in her deep green pools below the surface; maybe hope or maybe the possibility of for once, beating Alice Cooper at her own game.

“Please, Juggie?” she whispered in the quietest, most honest tone he’d ever heard her speak. “I can’t do it anymore. You know how I let her get to me.”

She hadn’t needed to finish speaking. Her “Please, Juggie?” had done him in. He could deny her nothing and he knew that.

“Okay,” he whispered, his eyes not leaving hers. “Okay, yeah.”

“Perfect!” Veronica cheered, jumping up from the sofa! “I’ll help you work out details and even help be part of your backstory as a witness!”

Squealing, she checked her phone before walking over to grab her coat from the coat rack.

“My driver is here, kids, but we will talk soon!” she hummed. “Toodles!”

With the slam of the door, Jughead winced. That was very much like Veronica; come in like a hurricane and leave a trail of carnage behind. He knew she had Betty’s best interests at heart, but his heart was bursting, and not in a good way.

“Juggie?” Betty said softly before gesturing for him to join her on the couch. 

Slowly he stood and made his way over to the couch from the armchair he’d been sitting in. He angled his body towards her so he could see her clearly and head-on.

“Juggie, I know you agreed, but if this makes you uncomfortable or if you think it’s too gross to pretend that you’re dating me-”

“Betty,” he halted her with a palm on her knee. “Gross is the farthest thing I can imagine when thinking of words to describe you. If it makes you feel less...tense or less likely to hurt yourself, of course, I’ll help.”

Betty’s lips turned up in a genuine, emotional smile, tears pooling in her eyes and adding even more of a sparkle to her already beautiful gaze.

“Thank you,” she whispered, placing a palm on his one cheek and leaning forward to place a small peck on the other before wrapping her arms around him in an embrace.

“Anything for you, Betts” came his reply.

As gravity began to shift, he realized Betty was pulling him down on the couch with her.

“Nap with me?” she asked, not wanting to be alone and enjoying his warmth and safety she felt there.

He nodded against her as she settled her head on his shoulder and her hand across his chest. Within moments he felt her breathing settle and even out, a tell-tale sign that she was out cold. For once in his life, he couldn’t sleep.

Since he was a kid, there was nothing more he wanted in life than to be called Betty Cooper’s boyfriend. She was intelligent, genuine, beautiful- she was perfect. He knew she hated that word, but he couldn't help it. He loved her insecurities, her bad habits, and even the raw way she let go around him. 

There had been moments when he thought she felt the same; where he got an inkling from her or a small gesture that was deeper than friendship, but he had brushed it off in fear of misreading the situation and losing her forever.

He had been so close freshman year. He had planned to spill his guts and shed all his secrets, but then Archie and Ronnie had the mother of all fights and almost called it quits. It scared him enough to tuck his feelings away, safely in the dark where they could never hurt him.

He loved her. He had loved her forever. If she needed him to be her fake boyfriend, he would do it. But he wasn’t sure his heart would survive the experience.

Down on the street, Veronica still smiled a wicked half-grin. Climbing into the black town car her driver had double-parked, she pulled out her phone and scrolled through her contacts, her finger tapping on one Alice Cooper.

The phone only rang twice before she heard a familiar voice on the other side of the line.

“So, how did it go?” Alice asked, the excited anticipation evident in her voice.

“After a few laughs and a LOT of tequila, I’m happy to say that Operation Blonde Beanie is all systems go,” she sighed happily into the phone.

“Thank God!” Alice sighed, relief evident in her voice. “We still have a lot of work to do over Christmas.”

“Not to worry, Mrs. Cooper,” Veronica sang positively as she admired her manicure in the streetlights glow from the car window. “Christmas is a time for miracles and meddling and luckily, I’m a pro at one of those.”

**Sunday, December 22nd**

The beam of sunlight streaming through her windows and bathing her cheeks in warmth woke her. Her muscles ached and were heavy as if she had been flattened by an avalanche and her tongue felt coarse and akin to sandpaper.

Groaning at the offending sunshine, Betty rolled over to look at her bedside clock. Her head was pounding and her stomach was torn between emptying its contents or requiring greasy food. 

Peeking open one eye, she squinted at the offending light only to discover that it was, in fact, the next morning and she slept the rest of Saturday away.

On her bedside table, she found a small cup with two Advil and a glass of water. “ _Jughead_ ,” she had sighed to herself fondly. He was always taking care of her when Veronica convinced her to indulge a little too much.

“Jughead!” she choked out, sitting up in alarm, her previously sleep-filled eyes now wide and alert.

As hungover as she was, she could remember the events of the previous day. Somehow Veronica and Jose Cuervo had convinced her that bringing Jughead home as her faux-beau would be a wonderful idea to tame the dragon that was her mother.

In the moment, the plan seemed fool-proof. Jughead had been her friend, one of her best friends, for so many years. She already knew everything about him and they spent a ton of time together so the story would be believable. For Betty though there was only one glitch in this plan; she was in love with Forsythe Pendleton Jones the third.

She wasn’t sure when it had happened, really. Maybe it was in The Blue & Gold office between issues, maybe it was while solving Jason Blossom’s murder, or maybe it was just from all the little moments they shared hanging out through the years. His arrival in her apartment two years prior had effectively ended her dating social-life as she much rather enjoyed spending her weekends curled up with him and a Netflix documentary.

There was no one else on the planet who knew Betty the way he did; her secrets, her true desires and aspirations, and even her darker side. Jughead had always held onto those fractured pieces of Betty when they were too much for her to bear and she loved him for it.

She loved him. She was in love with him. She had whispered those words so many times before, afraid to speak them any louder, into the confidence of her pillow and bedroom walls and now he was going to assume the role of her boyfriend. Her _fake_ boyfriend.

To be honest with herself, it felt a little wrong. He had no idea the depth of her affections and here she was coercing him into this farce. 

And could she even make it seem real? One kiss and she’d be a bubbling, cooing puddle of pudding on Alice Cooper’s spotless kitchen floor. She was considering her options when an atomic bomb like knock sounded on her bedroom door.

“Ohhhh,” she groaned at the sound as her door opened and her ‘boyfriend’ himself strolled inside.

“Good morning, Sunshine!” he called louder than necessary. “Aren’t you looking particularly gorgeous today!”

Pouting a bit and sitting up straighter, Betty took a peek in the mirror across from her only to find her pajama top was askew, a patch of her hot pink bra sticking out and her hair was half in a ponytail and half sticking out in every direction. Her mascara stained under her eyes and she was puffy and a mess.

_Fantastic_ she thought to herself, her hands attempting to smooth down her hair.

Dropping himself to the edge of her bed, he pulled out a brown paper bag that he had been concealing before tossing her a foil-wrapped Taylor Ham, egg, and cheese on a roll and a bottle of orange juice with a knowing smile.

“How are you functioning so well this morning,” she scratched out, her voice still dry and weak, as she picked up the greasy deliciousness he had tossed her way before inhaling its salty aroma.

“Well,” he said, his words muffled by a giant mouthful of breakfast sandwich, “unlike you, I didn’t chug an entire bottle of booze last night before blacking out for fifteen hours.”

“Hmmm,” she replied, accepting his lighthearted dig. “I always knew you were smarter than me.”

“What was that?” he called, placing a hand up to his ear. “Can I get that in writing, Betts?”

Shaking her head at his goofy smile, Betty lifted up her sandwich and nibbled at the edges. The melted cheese pouring over the sides was one of the best parts and was meant to be savored. For a while, they ate in companionable silence. He finished first, balling his foil into a small, tin projectile before hurdling it in the direction of her garbage can.

“So,” he drawled out slowly. “Should we talk about the elephant in the room?”

Swallowing another salty bite and wiping the side of her lip with a napkin, Betty put her sandwich down to give him her full attention on the matter.

“You mean how I got you drunk and pathetically convinced you to pretend to date me?”

Leaning back on the pillows next to her, Jughead folded his arms behind his head and gazed up at the ceiling.

“That pretty much sums it up I’d say,” he remarked in a light, languorous tone. “Maybe you should have been the one up early getting _me_ breakfast.”

Finishing her last bite, Betty flung her empty foil over at him with a teasing roll of her eyes. He caught it easily and chucked it towards his own discarded garbage in the tiny blue bin in the corner.

As their chucklesome antics ended, a quiet tension filled the space between them. The faint buzz of the city traffic below left a quiet hum throughout the otherwise silent room.

After a few moments, Betty shuddered a long sigh.

“Jug?” she pleaded. “What are we doing?”

Jughead extended his arm to grasp her hand. He linked their fingers together in a comforting hold and gave her a quick reassuring squeeze.

“I don’t honestly know, Betts,” he hesitated. “I imagine it will be a little… awkward to pretend at first.”

Betty began to grip his palm tighter, her nails digging into the skin of his knuckles a bit. She was feeling insecure about everything but like always, he knew exactly what to do to put her mind at ease. 

“But we’ll figure it out as we go, okay?” he explained calmly.

Betty nodded at him, hoping he could feel the motion from his place on the pillow. She couldn’t bring herself to look over just yet.

“I was trying to picture it this morning,” she confessed, her eyes counting the dots on her ceiling tiles. “I was trying to imagine what it would be like. If I’d be an awkward goofy moron or if you’d just mercilessly tease me for a week.”

Jughead rolled onto his side, one arm resting under his head to prop him up above her. A slow cocky grin dripped its way across his face and he winked down at her.

“Oh, you pictured it, did you?” he bantered, wagging his eyebrows suggestively. “Was I good?”

“Jughead!” she spluttered in embarrassment, color already flooding her cheeks. “I- you…”

“It was good, wasn’t it,” he drawled, leaning in closer to invade her personal space.

Her cheeks were flushed with embarrassment and she couldn’t believe how forward and suggestive he was being. This was a different side of Jughead, the boyfriend side, and she had to admit it was pretty attractive even if it was all just pretend.

Betty needed to keep her wits about her. She couldn’t get sucked into thinking this ploy was real. She pulled her hand away from his rapidly before shoving his shoulder out of her own personal space. “I see we’re going with mercilessly teasing then.” 

“Out!” she threatened, holding back her own laugh. “Go. Now! I need to get dressed.”

Rolling off the bed he stuffed his hands into his pockets, still grinning at how obviously flustered she was. Maybe, just maybe, this whole scenario wouldn’t be so awful.

“Do you need some help?” he teased. “I am your boyfriend now-”

“OUT!” she yelled, with no actual malice in her tone.

Still yucking at his own humor, he left her room for her to get dressed.

“Forget a pile of pudding,” she groaned inwardly as she leaned back against her door. “I’m more like a popsicle on the Fourth of July.”

…..

After dressing and packing, Betty lugged a large suitcase and two smaller duffle bags out into the living room. They were leaving for a Riverdale at noon and her stomach churned at the thought of the long car ride alone with Jughead.

She found Jughead sitting at the kitchen counter inhaling a bowl of cereal and a cup of coffee from the beaver shaped ceramic glass she had given him that read, ‘I don’t give a dam.’

“Jughead,” she chortled, dropping her bags by the door. “Are you seriously eating again?”

“It’s a long ride,” he mumbled through his mouthful of Lucky Charms, eyeing her many bags curiously. “Are you moving home permanently?” 

Betty found herself flustered by his inquisition. “No, I just- I don’t know what I’ll need. We don’t have every day planned and I-”

“I guess you needed an extra bag for lingerie, huh?” he joked, clearly deciding to use this week to fluster and flush Betty as much as he could. “You do have a boyfriend now.”

Standing ramrod straight with bulging eyes, Betty’s jaw dropped open and she stared at the smirk on his face in shock. He was teasing her! He was doing her a favor and was going to make her pay for it. Well, two could play that game.

“You’ll just have to wait and see,” she bubbled sweetly. “Wouldn’t you be so lucky.”

With that, she turned towards the door and called back to him over her shoulder.

“I’m going to grab the ZipCar,” she said. “Be ready when I call. Oh, and boyfriend? You can bring down my bags.”

As the front door shut and he dropped his spoon, Jughead rubbed at his temples and shook his head, trying to get the image of Betty Cooper’s lingerie out of his mind.

…..

Considering the past twenty-four hours, the car ride went smoothly. Both refrained from excessive teasing and they had solidified some background information.

To start, they decided to say they had been dating for six months, but hadn’t wanted to share with anyone since all of their friends and family were close and they wanted to make sure it was actual attraction and not proximity before coming forward.

They also decided that he had made the first move, mostly do to his insistence that if he was playing a fake boyfriend he could at least be a suave manly one. They had been eating takeout and watching Netflix when he had leaned over and kissed her on impulse. The rest was history.

“You don’t think we will… you know… actually have to kiss, do you?” she asked hesitantly.

He had offered to drive their rent-a-car and his fingers gripped the steering wheel tightly at her mention of kissing. He had wondered the same thing. Being her fake boytoy was one thing, but kissing her under false pretenses didn’t feel right. If he ever did get to kiss Betty, he wanted it to be real.

“I’m sure we can find a way around it,” he reasoned.

“Yeah, of course,” she said, sounding a bit deflated.

The rest of the ride was spent humming along with the radio. Somehow, this year, Mariah Carey’s high pitched shrieking in “All I Want for Christmas is You,” left Jughead wanting to shove a sock in her mouth more so than usual.

…..

  
  


They walked up the bricked steps hand in hand, pausing at the familiar red door. 

“You ready?” she asked him hesitantly, a trepidatious look crossing her features as he swallowed once hard and laced their fingers together tightly.

Betty raised her fist and, sucking in a deep breath, rapped on the door sharply.

“ _Here we go_ ,” she thought to herself as a perfectly manicured and well-coiffed Alice Cooper opened the door and greeted her with a smile.

“Elizabeth,” she chirped warmly before tilting her head and altering her gaze at the taller, darker man her daughter was connected to. “And… Jughead?”

Alice’s eyes drifted down towards their connected hands, their palms both a bit sweaty as they prepared to enter the dragon’s lair. 

“Come in!” Alice finally laughed moments later. “It seems we have a lot to talk about.”

Shaking off the cold, they entered the foyer of 111 Elm Street where Alice promptly took their jackets and they plopped their bags down by the steps.

“Jughead,” Alice said sweetly. “Will you take the bags upstairs please so we don’t trip over them later?”

After all these years, Jughead had lost most of his fear of Alice. The edge in her tone and the formality with which she spoke still left him slightly nervous at times, but his desire to protect Betty from her always won over his own discomfort.

“Sure, Mrs. C,” he grinned. “Where should I put mine? Polly’s room? Guest room?”

Alice looked at him curiously before folding her arms over her chest and sighing.

“Jughead, you’re twenty-five and you live with my daughter. Don’t think I’m that disillusioned that I don’t assume you’re already sleeping together based on what I just saw on the porch,” Alice said tightly. “Besides, the other rooms are full when Polly, Dan, and the kids arrive.”

Swallowing down the baseball that now seemed to be lodged in his throat, Jughead bobbed a little nod at her before carrying the bags upstairs to Betty’s room, Betty, no doubt, was being grilled by her mother while he was indisposed.

Her room had not changed at all. Alice had left the posters, the knick-knacks, the same floral bedding and old high school photos he remembered from when they were kids. 

Sliding the bags off his shoulders, he sat on the bed for a moment. He felt like a teenager again, just hoping to spend a moment in Betty Cooper’s bedroom. It was all a bit too much of a flashback and he knew how the story ended; with him, alone, still pining away. 

They had fallen asleep together so many times before and it was always friendly and innocent. But this time with their phony label it didn’t feel as innocent at all. It was going to be a long night.

After allowing Betty a few extra moments to explain their newfound love to Alice, he trudged his way back downstairs only to be met with a bone-crushing embrace at the foot of the steps.

“Oomph,” he breathed out, slowly realizing the blonde locks attached to him belonged to Alice and not Betty.

“Oh, Jughead,” Alice gushed. “Betty filled me in on the news and I’m so happy you two FINALLY confronted your feelings for each other. The goo-goo heart eyes and mushy smiles you two had been flirting with for years were killing me! You two are perfect together.”

Shuffling from her embrace awkwardly, he rubbed the back of his neck and blushed.

“Uh, yeah,” he muttered back. “I guess it was about time, huh?”

“It’s just perfect!” Alice sang again, her eyes blowing wide with excitement. “We must invite your Dad for Christmas! JB is visiting your Mom, isn’t she?”

“No- I mean, yeah, she is,” he stammered back.

“Than that settles it,” she said with conviction. “I’ll call FP now - unless you two want to explain this to him yourselves.”

Jughead shook his head rapidly. Any explanation regarding being Betty’s boyfriend would make him sound like a pathetic pining puppy. His Dad knew of his affection for Betty and he didn’t really want to have that conversation with Betty around.

“You go ahead, Mrs. Cooper,” he suggested. “The invite will mean more coming from you.”

Clapping her hands together, Alice ran off to the kitchen to call. Betty, biting her lip with a grin, swayed her way over to where he stood before wrapping him in a loose hug.

“So far so good?” she whispered softly by the shell of his ear, keeping her voice low and secretive.

He shuddered at the feel of her warm breath so close against him. They had been there for twenty minutes and his nerve endings were already on system overload.

“Yeah,” he said gruffly, his throat constricting as he spoke. “Easy as pie.”

Just then Alice strode back into the room. “All settled,” she reported. “FP is more than excited about you two and will come on Christmas Eve for dinner.”

Betty awkwardly dropped her arms from Jughead, acutely aware of their proximity and her mother’s gaze just as a knock sounded on the door.

“I’ll get it,” Jughead snapped quickly, relieved to have a momentary distraction.

Opening the front door he was greeted by no other than the scheme-builder herself, Veronica, with Archie right at her heels.

“Merry Christmas!” she bubbled, offering Alice a hug and a bottle of Prosecco. 

“Do you ever travel without alcohol?” Jughead asked sarcastically.

“I mean, I could,” Veronica said with a frown. “But why would I?”

After a bit of time spent catching up and a large amount of pizza consumption, they decided to settle in and watch a Christmas movie. 

Veronica had commandeered the remote and demanded to watch Love Actually while Jughead argued its insignificance as a Christmas movie.

Alice had whipped up some hot chocolate and pulled out her tin of freshly baked gingerbread cookies. They dimmed down the lights, the illumination in the room coming from the television, tree, and crackling fire.

Betty had been seated on the sofa next to Veronica and Archie, while Jughead relaxed back in the large cushioned recliner. 

Veronica eyed Alice suggestively, nodding her head towards where he sat and then tilting her gaze towards Betty. From the armchair, Alice cleared her throat.

“Hmmm, Betty?” she asked sweetly. “Could you maybe go grab a bag of mini marshmallows and candy canes in case anyone wants to add it to the cocoa?”

Betty pushed up from the couch and offered her mother a sleepy smile. She was still feeling the effects of the previous day’s alcohol and was hoping to doze off during the movie.

“Sure, Mom,” she sighed, exhausted but happy.

The moment she was out of sight in the kitchen, Veronica shifted sideways, pushing Archie back on the couch and laying her head on his chest, their legs stretched out to take up the whole length.

When Betty returned from the kitchen, she found her previous seat was no longer vacant. She looked at Veronica questioningly and received a wicked smile back in return.

“What?” Veronica countered defensively. “I wanted to get cozy.”

Betty placed the snack on the coffee table and grumbled at her friend.

“Fine,” she snapped. “I’ll take the floor. That’s super comfortable.”

“Your boyfriend has a lap you know,” Veronica challenged her. “And that is a pretty big chair.”

Betty shot daggers at her friend. She knew she had done this on purpose, whether or not it was to tease her or to help her, she wasn’t sure. 

For years Veronica had been trying to convince Betty to jump the bones of her long-time crush. Betty had so much practice in denial and refusal, at least until Veronica had gotten tequila involved.

She knew it would look odd if she refused and chose the floor instead. Summoning up all the courage she could muster, she slid over shakily to where he sat, her eyes pleading with him to play along and apologizing at the same time.

He put the footrest of the recliner down momentarily and then Jughead reached out an arm to her, a gesture that it was fine, and pulled her down into his lap, settling back to the cushions with her seated sideways across him, facing the TV, his arms wrapped tightly around her.

As soon as she was settled, he popped open the footrest and reclined back a bit, the tilt settling her more firmly against his chest.

“Okay?” he asked softly as the movie played in the background. 

“Yeah,” she managed to whisper out. “Thanks.”

As the characters on screen fell in, and out, of love, and the holiday music played, Betty and Jughead felt nothing but tension.

So close to his chest, she could feel his heartbeat thumping like a snare drum and could smell the musky scent of his shower gel and the light pine cologne he swore he didn’t wear, but secretly did.

Her hand had settled on his chest and she unconsciously played with the familiar “S” on his old, ratty T-shirt. Between the fire and lights and his lap, she was warm, on fire, actually. Her previously sleep filled brain was suddenly wide awake and every nerve ending aware of her perch.

He could sense her discomfort. She may have laid back, but her body was still tense against him. 

“Relax,” he whispered into her ear. “It’s fine, Betts.”

His reassurance was all she needed to settle against him more completely, her shoulders going slack and her chin resting on his chest. With an arm around her shoulders, he traced tiny patterns into her skin with his fingertips.

For a while they watched the film in comfortable silence. As the movie went on, his fingertips became more confident and directed. They skidded down her neck, raising a trail of goosebumps where they passed and tangled in the back of her hair, his eyes never leaving the television.

Betty, to her credit, spent the entire time trying not to sigh or groan. She wanted to twist herself in his lap and plant one right on his lips, but her fear held her back. Was he playing with her? Was he just filling his role? His touch seemed too tender and delicate to be a farce.

As his fingers once again shifted down her neck, Betty shuddered at the contact. She was warm and cold, fire and ice, all at once. She began to squirm in his lap to evade his touch before she embarrassed herself in front of her mother.

Suddenly, his hands settled harshly on her hips, halting her motion. She tilted her head up to look at his face only to find his eyes dark and wide staring right back at her, his jaw now tense. She eyed him questioningly, before looking down to where his hands fiercely gripped her hip bones, rendering her immobile.

Leaning in so closely that his lips brushed her ear, he whispered, “You need to stop wiggling on my lap, Betts.”

For a moment Betty was confused, she told him so with the look that graced her facial features and the eyebrow that unconsciously quirked upwards before sudden realization came to her and her eyes opened wide. 

They were close, very close, their noses almost touching and their breath shared.

“Sorry,” she sighed out softly, even though she wasn’t.

“S’okay,” he replied, loosening his hold on her hips now that he knew she understood.

She settled back against him, more carefully this time, and focused her eyes on the screen. His breathing and heart rate slowly settled and the slow thump she heard against his chest was soothing. An hour into the film and she was fast asleep.

He woke her later. The room was dark and silent and they were the only two who remained. Glancing at the clock on the cable box she saw it was two in the morning. She groaned, her muscles stiff from being squished up for so long.

“Upstairs?” she asked him softly, rising to head to her room as he nodded in agreement, rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

They dragged themselves to her bedroom and took turns in the bathroom, brushing their teeth and changing into pajamas. When he emerged from the bathroom he found her already in bed. She held up the covers with one arm and he slid in, her head resuming its place on his chest like earlier and her hand resting there as well.

“Night, Juggie,” she said, muffled into his tee.

“Night, Betts,” he sighed, snuggling her close, a lazy smile forming in the dark.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Follow me on Tumblr @likemereckless

**“Christmas Eve”- Celine Dion**

**We'll stay up late tonight**

**Decorate the tree**

**Just look into my eyes**

**And I will tell you truthfully**

**That I don't need no Santa Claus**

**To hear my Christmas wish**

**I got you in my arms**

**And what could be a better gift**

**Than to spend my very favorite time of year**

**With the one I really love so near**

**Walkin' with you in a winter's snow**

**Kissin' underneath the mistletoe**

**People smiling everywhere we go**

**It's Christmas Eve and they can see we're in love**

**Ooh, you make the season bright**

**With the lights reflecting in your eyes**

**All my dreams are comin' true tonight**

**It's Christmas Eve and I can see we're in love**

  
  


**Monday, December 23rd**

He was warm. He was always warm, but this was a different kind of heat. His arm was sticky and pink where it rested across her bare stomach where her shirt had ridden up during the night.

They had fallen asleep cuddling. He was hesitant at first to use that word because they were not actually dating, but he couldn’t call what they had done last night anything else. He had cuddled Betty Cooper to sleep and he had never slept better.

She began to stir beneath him and he froze a bit as he debated his choices. He could quickly remove himself from where he was pressed against her back and pretend it never happened, or he could let things play out and gauge her reaction to his proximity.

The first choice would probably be safer, but the latter would give him a better indication of whether what he had been sensing over the last forty-eight hours was true.

From the moment they had set this plan into motion, he’d caught her staring more than once. Her light touches and whispers, while not unfamiliar to him, were certainly more frequent and not just occurring under her mother’s watchful eye. He decided not to move and let her take the lead.

Betty knew he was awake. She could sense it from the way his slackened arm had tightened around her slightly. She was far too comfortable to care about the implications of their position and she snuggled back against him more comfortably. 

“Morning, Juggie,” she hummed happily, rolling over to face him. “Sleep okay?”

“Morning,” he uttered back, his arm still lightly draped across her waist. “Best sleep I’ve had in a long time.”

“Hmm,” she smiled, pressing her hands up against his chest. “It was because of me, wasn’t it?”

Quirking up one side of his lip, he shrugged a bit, fingers playing with the elastic waistband on her flannel shorts.

“Or,” he teased, “maybe it was the floral bedsheets.”

They stared at each other for a few moments, a thick silence daring one of them to inch forward just a bit more. 

“Jug,” Betty squeaked out, just as a knock sounded on the door, startling them from where they lay.

“Elizabeth, Jughead,” Alice called. “Breakfast is ready.”

The moment broken, Betty edged out of his embrace and shuffled off to the bathroom to brush her teeth. 

“Stupid,” she chastised herself in the mirror. “Stupid, stupid, stupid. It’s just a game, Betty. It’s not real.”

Jabbing at her molars with her purple brush, she shook her head and willed her emotions under control.

Downstairs Alice had a fresh pitcher of orange juice, bacon, pancakes, and coffee ready and waiting for them. 

“Mrs. Cooper,” Jughead gushed, his eyes lighting up. “You didn’t have to go through all this trouble, but it does look amazing.”

Alice tossed her head back and laughed at how he was practically salivating. 

“Jughead,” she leveled with him, “with you here for the holidays I fully expect my refrigerator to be empty on the regular. Plus, it’s nice cooking for someone who enjoys food.”

“Well, you never have to worry about that with me,” he assured her, grabbing a seat at the table with Betty sitting herself down next to him. “I love all food.”

“Yes, well, I suppose now that you’re in our family my holiday grocery bill will quadruple,” she smiled, turning to take some cinnamon rolls out of the oven.

Instantaneously, Jughead’s stomach dropped and bottomed out. He felt a bit sick and though he was next to Betty and Alice was a few feet away, he felt suddenly alone. 

He hadn’t grown up with what one would call a typical family. There had been a few good times, some bad times, and plenty of dark times. Hearing Alice refer to him as family filled him with guilt. It shouldn’t. He’d been hanging out at her house his entire life, so in a way, they were like family. 

What made him feel like he had just gotten off a roller coaster was the idea of how devastated she would be when they broke up. They hadn’t considered that in the grand scheme of their plan. It wasn’t all about them. He made a mental note to address this with Betty later that night.

“Jughead!” Alice said, pulling him from his thoughts. “Eat up! The cinnamon rolls are my own secret recipe,” she added with a wink.

Pushing his feelings into the back of his mind for now, he offered a smile and loaded up his plate. At least he wouldn’t disappoint her on two fronts. He could always eat.

With the cinnamon rolls half gone and their plates covered in syrup and scraps of bacon, Jughead pushed back from the table and rubbed at his stomach.

“Ugh, Betty,” he groaned. “If we keep eating here you’re going to need to buy me pants for Christmas.”

As Betty giggled, Alice beamed with delight. “I’ll take that compliment.”

“I’ll clean up, Mom,” Betty offered. “You did all the hard work this morning.”

Alice seemed to be in an extra wonderful mood this morning if the thousand-watt smile she had on was meant to be taken as any sign.

“Actually, you need to go get dressed,” Alice explained. “When you two lovebirds fell asleep last night it started to snow. Veronica decided to book sleigh rides in Pickens Park for today.”

Jughead wrinkled up his lips a bit. He wondered if their small town could be any more of a cliche? Sleigh rides in the park? He felt like he was in an episode of Gilmore Girls. Not to mention, that sounded awfully… romantic. Betty seemed to feel the same.

“Mom,” she replied. “We came to be with you for the holidays. We don’t need to go.”

“Nonsense!” Alice pushed her objections away with a wave of her hand. “I’m coming as well. Mary Andrews and I are going to make it a ‘girls day’ and share a single ladies sleigh. Isn’t that what you girls call it?”

“Right,” Betty nodded slowly. “Well, sounds like fun then. Should we go get dressed, Jug?”

“Lead the way, my lady,” he countered.

…..

An hour later they found themselves walking through the barren, snow-topped trees of Pickens Park. The sun was strong and warm and little droplets of water hung from the tips of the crooked twigs, occasionally dripping onto the pristine, white coating below.

A few times he had stopped to change his camera settings to get a good shot.

“So, if I change the shutter speed for this one,” he explained. “It will focus on the small object in the forefront and then blur the background.”

Betty smiled warmly at him from behind her enormous, triple-wrapped scarf. With her fuzzy earmuffs and her puffy white coat she looked like an adorable abominable snowman. As she cast her eyes around the park, smiling at the children sledding and the people skating, he couldn’t help but snap a few photos of her for his own personal collection.

“Are you taking pictures of me, Juggie?” she teased, sauntering over to look at his shots.

“These are great, Jug,” she complimented him, wrapping a loose arm around his waist. “You really have a great eye for lighting and angles.”

Shutting the screen down, he cast an unidentifiable glance down at her. “It’s easy when the focus of your shoot is beautiful,” he said sincerely, the depth of his gaze sinking right into her, filling her chilly form with warmth.

“Jug,” she whispered.

“Hey! You two!” Archie called from over by the sleigh rides. “Stop smooching and get over here. You can make out once we get started.”

Blushing again, Betty offered one more glance up at him before turning towards the sleighs. Joining their friends and family, Betty dodged a questioning glance from Veronica who had been watching her as if she were a person of interest just as three drivers stepped into the horse-drawn carriages, one accepting an envelope of cash from Veronica.

“Oh, Alice, isn’t this romantic!” Mary cackled, her arm laced through Alice’s as they climbed into the back carriage.

“Who would have thought all those years ago we’d be ‘besties’ as Betty would say watching our kids all kissy kissy on a sleigh ride,” Alice added, draping a blanket over their laps as Veronica and Archie climbed in the middle sleigh.

Sticking out his hand to help her up, Jughead assisted Betty into the sleigh in the front before jumping in himself. As the driver handed him the blanket, he considered placing it across their laps before changing his mind. Instead he ushered her forward a bit and wrapped it around the back of them before pulling the sides around them.

Betty eyed him curiously from beneath her lashes and he shrugged.

“Now we can cuddle up against each other under the blanket,” he explained, lacing their fingers on one hand together and wrapping his arms around her shoulders just as the horse started trotting.

He had to admit, though it was a huge cliche, the sleigh ride was really romantic. Huddled together with the world glistening white, he began to realize, farce or not, this was still the best Christmas he’d ever had.

“You’ve been really sweet, Juggie,” she spoke after a while. “I mean, you’re kind of the best boyfriend I’ve ever had.”

“Well, shucks,” he responded, pretending to bat his eyelashes and blush, chuckling at the slight jab to the ribs she provided him in punishment.

“Stop it,” she laughed. “I just mean any girl would be lucky to have you. Why haven’t you dated recently?”

“Why haven’t you?” he countered defensively.

“I asked first,” she shot back at him quickly, needing him to make the first move at this point.

“Maybe,” he said softly, “I didn’t think the girl I was interested in was interested in me. Or maybe I did, but was afraid of changing things with her.”

For a moment she looked up at him hopefully. The tip of her nose and her cheeks were pink from the cold air that whipped past them as the horse trotted along. Her expression quickly changed from curiosity to one of recognition. She knew he was talking about her. 

“Well, maybe she was, Jug. Maybe she still is,” she reassured him. “Maybe she was just afraid of losing what you guys had because she needed you so much.”

“I can respect that,” he agreed. “I was a little afraid of that, too. It’s why I never really told her how I felt before. I’d rather have something rather than nothing.”

“I bet she knew anyway, Juggie,” Betty said, leaning in towards him. “I bet she knew from the way you spoke to her and treated her. Maybe she just wanted some reassurance… for you to make the first move.”

Her eyes bore directly into his, a slight glow to them that almost felt like a dare to him. 

“Betts,” he spoke in hushed tones as he slid his body just the slightest bit closer and angled himself to be facing her even more as she slid a glove covered palm up this neck.

Before he could contemplate what her actions revealed, the horse slowed a bit and then stopped.

Was it over already? He turned for a moment to look out at the driver before him, only it wasn’t the familiar tailcoat on his jacket he saw. The driver had turned on his bench and in his outstretched arms held a small fishing pole with a wad of green attached to the line. He had jutted it out towards them and lowered the offending plant just the slightest bit until it was hanging over their heads.

“Mistletoe!” Veronica yelled in a vivacious and calculated tone. “Woo, woo! Time to smooch, lovebirds!”

At her announcement, their heads whipped around to see why she was causing such a ruckus. As her words sunk in, their eyes returned to each other instead.

Every thread and fiber of his being wanted to kiss her and kiss her good. But his brain kept telling other parts of him that it wasn’t right. It wasn’t real. He didn’t want to let her down or break up the image they had been building, so he nodded at her gently before leaving over to place a small kiss on the tip of her nose.

Pulling back the slightest bit, he cocked his head to the side and offered her a half-smile and a shrug. A slow grin spread across her face as well and she seemed to understand his gesture, at least in some way.

“Seriously?” Veronica chided them from behind. “That was some super gross and cutesy business. Like adorably gross. But that is NOT a real kiss.”

Without turning around he snapped back at her.

“We aren’t here to please voyeurs like you and Andrews. Go on YouTube if you need to watch other people kiss to get off.”

“Jug!” Betty giggled, biting down on her lower lip to stifle a larger laugh as Veronica listed off a whole string of insults at him. He sat back with a satisfied sigh and pulled Betty closer once again.

Though he may not have kissed her just then, there was one thing he was sure of. He was going to kiss Betty Cooper, not on the nose, and not as part of a ruse, but the way she should be kissed, and he was going to do it soon.

…..

The rest of the afternoon was spent in the kitchen baking an assortment of beautifully decorated cookies for Christmas Eve dinner the next day. Sugar cookies, knot cookies, snickerdoodles, chocolate crinkle, and good old fashioned chocolate chip cookies cooled all over the kitchen and dining room. 

Betty had told Jughead he could go read, write or watch television, but he had opted to join her and her mother in their baking which had secretly delighted her.

A few hours in and they were laughing and covered in flour and frosting. Alice had gone upstairs for a quick shower and had left them to decorate the remaining sugar cookies.

“Jug,” Betty shook with laughter as they frosted. “I’m not exactly sure what that is supposed to be.”

Feigning shock and offense, he placed a hand to his chest and dropped his jaw.

“I’ll have you know,” he said, pointing towards the globs of white frosting and edible glitter on his cookie, “That this is called abominable Cooper.”

“Abominable Cooper?” she repeated, unamused.

“Yes,” he replied. “It’s you today all fluffed up in that giant coat. And here is your hair,” he added, squeezing out some yellow tube frosting in little lines.

“And all the glitter?” she asked him, needing further explanation.

“It’s snow,” he explained. “A loose artistic representation.”

“Hmmm,” Betty hummed as she considered his cookie before quickly snatching it from the plate on which he was decorating and hurrying away to the other side of the table.

“Hey! Give that back you sugar snatcher!” he insisted, laughing as he leapt from his chair to follow her. “You baked bandit! You frosting fiend!”

Backing herself into a corner, Betty laughed before eyeing him mischievously. “Are you finished with your alliterations, Jug?”

He nodded as he stalked her, noting the devilish look on her face.

“Good,” she said bravely, before biting the head off abominable Cooper.

“Nooooo!” he yelled, darting around a pulled-out chair and backing her further into the corner of the dining room. 

Betty giggled and grinned through her chews of sugary goodness, putting her hands out and squealing as he approached.

His fingers met her ribs and stomach with a gentle, but prodding touch, sending more screeches and giggles throughout the house.

“Apologize!” he demanded, tickling her harder.

“Never!” she managed to breathe out between gasps and giggles.

He was pressed up close against her now in a more intimate way than friends should be. Pausing in his tickling momentarily, he grabbed the damaged cookie from her hand before reaching up and smearing white frosting across the front of her face.

“Jug!” she yelped. “Okay! Okay! I’m sorry!” 

Though he didn’t take a step back, he did stop his tickle assault on her midsection before he dragged his gaze up to the frosting on her face.

On impulse, he pressed her back against the dining room wall, his hand spanning her middle and his leg edged between hers before dipping his face closer to hers.

Betty swallowed hard and pushed herself back against the wall as far as she could. He didn’t retreat and leaned in further, dropping his lips to hover just above hers.

Betty’s breath came out in tiny pants as she stood immobile in anticipation and nervousness. Slowly, as if he had all the time in the world, Jughead dipped forward and let his lips fall softly on the corner of her mouth; not quite on her lips, but not quite on her cheek either. His tongue flicked out to lick some frosting from her skin before disappearing altogether as he pulled back just a fraction to look into her eyes.

He knew his grin was smug, but he didn’t care. Her skin was flushed and her breathing was rapid.

“Delicious,” he said seductively, not losing his grin or breaking eye contact.

Before she could register his words or respond, he straightened himself up completely and took a bite of the abominable Cooper cookie that was still in his hand.

“The cookie is good, too,” he added, offering one last smirk before walking away, watching her from over his shoulder and ogling her up and down as he disappeared into the living room.

Betty sank back against the dining room wall, her legs weak and her entire body tingling and warm. 

Alice Cooper was nowhere to be found. There was no charade to put on which meant that entire exchange was not meant to be part of an act. Perhaps their conversation on the morning’s sleigh ride had shifted the balance of their relationship to slightly more than long-time pining friends.

With shaking fingers, she brought her hand up to the edge of her lip where his had grazed hers. One inch to the left and they would have been kissing. The image of him ogling her and his lips so close to hers left her heart beating like a million bees in a field full of flowers.

It was official. She was definitely a pile of pudding.

…..

Since Alice would be cooking up a storm tomorrow, they had opted to order Chinese food for dinner. Piles of takeout containers littered the counter and chopsticks lay discarded on the table as well.

After dinner they had put on their jackets and headed out into the cold of the yard and onto the patio where the fire pit was crackling. They held some mugs of hot chocolate to keep warm. Alice had told them they were crazy for venturing out there in winter and had opted for pajamas and tea on the couch.

“I thought this could give us a little alone time, maybe,” she explained. “To just unwind, or talk, or…” she trailed off, blushing and unsure what to say. 

She found it odd to be this flustered and unsure around him. Jughead had always been the only one she felt solid around and now she felt like a teenager at a celebrity signing.

Sitting back in one of the loungers, sans its cushion, he patted his lap and raised a challenging brow at her.

“I won’t bite… probably,” he teased to cut the tension.

Rolling her eyes, she climbed into the chair, partially on the cold metal and partially on him, placing her cocoa on the table next to her.

“So,” he began, sucking in a deep breath. “That was quite a romantic afternoon we had.”

“It was,” she agreed. “It was nice. I had fun… with you. I mean, I’m glad it was you I was with.”

“I’ve been thinking about the conversation we had earlier… on the sleigh ride,” he confessed. “I was wondering what you think this girl would say if I told her I wanted things to change. That I didn’t want things to go back to the way they used to be.”

Betty swallowed against his chest and kept her gaze on his lap where their hands found each other and through the cotton of their gloves began to draw little patterns back and forth as if they were having a thumb-war. It was the moment of truth. Betty had always combatted issues head-on and persevered through anything she accomplished. It was time to be brave in regards to her feeling.

“I think she… I... may be a little afraid, Juggie,” Betty shared timidly. “But I’d say that you are worth the risk.”

It was all the confirmation he needed for now. They had waited this long and he knew she was ready for more. He didn’t want to kiss her now while they were freezing and could barely feel their lips. Plus, they’d be back inside shortly with Alice, watching  _ It’s a Wonderful Life,  _ no doubt. When he kissed her, it would be monumental and earth-shattering and he wanted time to take it all in, to savor every moment.

“Betts?” he said quietly into the crown of her hair, earning a low hum in recognition back. “When your Mom called me family today at breakfast, I just want you to know that really meant something to me.”

“Juggie,” she cooed sweetly.

“No, I- no matter what happens I don’t want your Mom to get hurt or disappointed by all this. She’s been too good to me and I don’t want to repay her with pain or disappointment.”

“Jug?” she commanded, tilting her face up to look at him and gesturing between them. “This isn’t going to end with disappointment for anyone, okay?”

Offering only the slightest raise of his lip, he nodded back.

“Okay.”

Just then the back door opened and Alice appeared, a robe wrapped tightly around her. 

“ _ A Wonderful Life _ is on, guys! It’s a tradition! Come in and watch! You’ll freeze out here anyway!”

  
  


When it was time for bed she brushed her teeth and changed first before climbing into bed. When he emerged from the bathroom, she was already under the covers on her side. Sliding in behind her, he confidently wrapped an arm around her waist and dropped his lips to touch her ear.

“Night, Betts,” he purred.

“Night, Juggie,” she murmured, snuggling back into him and linking their fingers before she fell into an easy slumber.

**Tuesday, December 24th**

  
  


“Merry Christmas Eve,” he grumbled into her shoulder, pulling her tighter into his chest where they cuddled from the night before.

“Is that even a thing?” she asked him, wiggling back into him as well.

She could feel his self-conscious shrug behind her.

“It’s a thing if I make it a thing,” he mumbled into her hair.

Rolling over to face him, Betty eyed him curiously. “You’re much more festive this year, Juggie.”

“Well,” he sighed tucking some of her hair behind her ear. “How can one not feel festive when they wake up next to a pretty girl every morning.”

Once again Betty’s skin flushed from head to toe. She couldn’t seem to control herself around him lately. She found that she was in a constant state of pink or red.

“Okay, girlfriend,” he said interrupting her thoughts and placing a light peck of a kiss on her head. “Time to feed me or I get hangry and then my bad boyfriend side comes out.”

“Kind of like Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde?” she asked.

“Worse,” he confessed, rolling out of bed.

Before they had even reached the foot of the steps, they knew Polly and her husband, Dan, had arrived. Two strawberry blonde blurs whipped past them at the base of the stairs, calls of “chocolate!” dripping from their tiny, salivating mouths.

“Of course Mom made chocolate chip muffins,” Polly said as she met them at the base of the steps. “She was a tyrant with us, but she sugars them up first thing in the morning.”

Sighing, she moved to grab her sister in a large, tight hug, shaking her back and forth a bit in pure delight.

“It’s  _ so  _ nice to see you, Pol,” Betty bubbled, squeezing her back.

“And Jughead,” Polly greeted him with a wry smile and a suspicious look. “You are staying here this Christmas, I see.”

Rubbing the back of his neck, he looked over at Betty to save him from an awkward explanation, but she wasn’t chiming in.

“Uh, yeah,” he finally replied. “I mean, Betty and I are kind of dating now, so…”

Polly’s eyes widened as she looked between the two of them, beaming.

“Finally!” she chirped bouncing back and forth and clapping her hands like a hummingbird’s wings. “It’s about time! You two have only been mooning over each other for over a decade!”

Betty huffed out an awkward and uncomfortable laugh before grabbing Polly’s elbow and tugging her towards the kitchen.

“C’mon, Pol,” she coaxed. “I want to go see your tiny terrors and Jug wants to eat.”

…..

Breakfast had passed in a flurry of giggles. June and Dag had kept them all laughing, making shapes with their syrup and bacon and telling holiday jokes as they ate. 

Betty shook her head in disbelief at how much food Jughead had packed away.

“Seriously, Juggie,” she chided. “Where does it all go?”

“It’s the Jones hollow leg,” he explained. “Plus it’s just too good to leave any on my plate… or on the platters.”

Shaking her head, she picked a little bit more at her plate, not really eating, but looking for something to do with her hands. She popped one last banana slice off the top of her pancake into her mouth.

As Polly launched into an explanation about Dag’s new co-op school, she felt Jughead leaned in close, his lips touching her ear.

“You know,” he said seductively, “my proclivity towards eating extends into other areas of my private life as well.”

Choking and coughing on the banana slice, Betty reached for her orange juice as Jughead sat up smugly, eyeing her with a predatory gaze.

“Aunt Betty?” Juniper chimed from her seat as Betty’s coughing stabilized. “We are going skating this afternoon. Will you and Uncle Juggie come?”

Betty’s heart swelled at the usage of Uncle Juggie. They hadn’t introduced him as such, but apparently, it was evident to a nine-year-old that she was head-over-heels for him.

“Oh, Junie, I’m not sure we would be the best skating partners for you and Dag,” Betty declared while helping to clear the table.

“Please, please, please,” Junie and Dag begged, pressing their hands together in little begging poses.

“Guys,” Jughead cautioned. “I’m about as graceful as a hippo, balancing on a jellybean, balancing on a beach ball, perched on the edge of a cliff. Do you really want your Aunt Betty to have to skate with that?”

Junie and Dag stifled giggles and exchanged goofy grins with each other before nodding emphatically at him. 

“YES!” they exploded. “That sounds like the best idea ever!”

“Okay,” Betty sighed. “But you were warned.”

As she walked back over to the table, Jughead grabbed her hand and laced their fingers together.

“Will you lace my skates and keep me upright?” he asked her, his voice half-teasing and half-serious.

“I’ll buy you hot chocolate and a gingerbread donut if you don’t squash me,” she agreed.

“But if I do squash you, I still get the hot chocolate, right?” he asked, dodging the playful slap she threw his way.

“You guys are gross,” Polly said dreamily from across the table. “I kind of love it.”

…..

Later that afternoon they were bundled up once again and back at the park. The ice on the lake was deemed thick enough to skate on and they had rented some skates for Jughead at the entry booth.

“You would have your own skates,” Jughead commented to Betty. “You probably skate like a professional.”

Betty shrugged. “I took lessons for a while. I wasn’t bad.”

“Bad?” he repeated, arching his eyebrows. “I’m sure you were perfect.”

Betty glared at him fiercely even though she knew he didn’t mean any harm. She had always hated being referred to as perfect since she was groomed to be such during her childhood years.

Jughead knew that. In their younger years, he had been the one to help her deal with her anxiety and proclivity to harm herself in the form of digging her nails into her skin. As they got older, that instinct came less and less, but her anxiety manifested in other ways. 

There were times she felt so cold that she shook fiercely, others where she couldn’t catch her breath, and some where she thought her mistake was so overwhelmingly terrible that the world might end. Each time he held her, hugged her, and put the pieces back together.

Despite it all, he never saw her as broken. He loved each fragile bit of her and never stopped telling her so. She realized after this weekend that she may have taken him for granted and put too much focus on her own needs and fears. She could tell he was truly in love with her. She had no doubt after this charade for her mother’s benefit. Maybe it was time for her to be the brave one for a change and do something about it.

“Earth to Cooper,” he called, shaking her from her thoughts. “You still with me?”

“Yeah,” she said softly, her breath making little smoky puffs in the cold winter air. “Let’s go get our skate on, Juggie.”

He was absolutely terrible. Uncoordinated could not even begin to describe his skating skills. Junie and Dag had skated laps around them seven times as they crawled around the lake at a snail's pace.

“You’re doing great, Juggie,” Betty reassured him as she held his hand tightly. “Just keep scissoring your legs a little at a time.”

“Either you are a good liar or you have seriously lowered your standards, Cooper,” Jughead said in a self-deprecating tone. “There are eighty-year-olds here who are lapping me.”

She tried to not laugh at his self-deprecating comment, but it was much too true not to chuckle.

“Aw, Juggie,” Betty said sympathetically. “Don’t worry about your skating abilities. I don’t keep you around for your athletic abilities on frozen ponds.”

“Good to know,” he replied. “But the tiny bit of deep-seated masculinity in me feels the need to inform you that my athletic abilities in the bedroom are much more coordinated than this.”

Betty flushed crimson and shook her head as he laughed at her inability to conceal her reactions towards him. 

“Good to know, Jug,” she finally choked out, deciding two could play at his game. “When we explore that particular extracurricular than you can be the instructor.”

Whipping his head to the side rapidly at her forward retort, he almost toppled over right then and there.

They spent the next half hour practicing gliding and pizza versus french fry positioning of his feet. After a few laps around he seemed to have gotten the hang of things. He still wasn’t speed skating, but they were coasting along together, smiling at the kids’ antics and tricks while Polly and Dan chased them around the ice.

“This is nice,” he gurgled, looking down at her from above. “Just being out, and here with you, it’s nice.”

Betty smiled a small, but loving smile, giving his hand a squeeze. “It really is nice being here with you, Juggie.”

She hesitated for a moment before continuing.

“And not just because you were doing me a favor. Even if you quit right now, this would still be my best Christmas ever.”

Jughead pizza’d his feet like she had shown him to stop their forward motion and in a somewhat coordinated manner that surprised even him, pulled her around front to face him.

“Betty,” he swooned as he swayed a bit on his feet. “You know I’d never quit this- quit you. It’s not a game to me. We have so much history and I wouldn’t have done this if I-”

Before he could make any grand declaration, a sharp, “WATCH OUT!” came bellowing out of a tiny, familiar voice. Junie and Dag, who had been skating at super speed to escape their father, had lost control and were hurtling straight towards them. 

On instinct, Jughead curled his body around Betty’s to absorb the brunt of the impact. The two screeching kids collided with his back, propelling him and Betty forward forcefully. A rogue hockey puck on the ice got caught up with Betty’s skate and sent the pair tumbling to the ground, off the ice rink and into the snow.

Shaking the snow from his face, he frantically looked to his side to check on Betty. She had fallen not far from him as his arms had been pulled from around her, but it seemed she was much worse for the ware.

She had landed on a small rock nearby and was sporting a tiny cut right above her left eyebrow that was now bleeding and dripping her white coat with bits of crimson.

“Betts,” he gasped, scooting over to her as she raised her hand and winced.

“Guess you don’t get that donut,” she teased, digging a tissue from her pocket to place on the cut.

He pulled her hand away from the gash for just a moment to check it out.

“It’s not deep,” he confirmed. “You won’t need stitches, but we should head home and clean it up.”

Sticking the tissue back on her head, she let him help her stand, a bit woozy from the fall and his almost decoration moments before.

“Oh, Betty!” Polly gushed in anguish. “I’m so sorry! I told them to slow down, but-”

“It was an accident, Pol,” she reassured her. “You guys go have fun. Juggie and I are going to head home.”

Since they had taken two cars anyway, leaving wasn’t a huge deal. They rode home in relative silence as she continued to put pressure on her cut.

When they got to the house, he jumped from the car to open her car door for her and guided her up the steps and into the house. Alice didn’t seem to be home cooking at the moment, probably due to an emergency grocery store or bakery run, so he helped her upstairs to her bathroom.

Patting the countertop, he gestured for her to hop up and sit so he could examine her injury. After a moment of twisting, she planted herself on the marble so he was eye level with her gash.

Jughead opened the cabinets and found a small first aid kit, no doubt leftover from Betty’s hand squeezing days back in high school.

“Alright now,” he warned her. “Be a good girl and when I’m all done you may get a treat. Maybe I’ll even kiss it all better.”

Biting her lip, Betty grinned at the back of his head as he opened the kit and grabbed an alcohol wipe, some antiseptic cream, and an adhesive bandage. She loved this flirtatious side of him, but was also glad he was giving her time to adjust and not pressing the subtle changes in their relationship so quickly.

He squirted some cream into the bandage as he opened it and got it ready to stick on before opening the little alcohol wipe, the smell reminding him of patching up his father during his childhood.

“This will sting,” he reminded her before dabbing at her cut with the tiny fabric square.

Betty hissed and recoiled for just a moment, more from the instant shock than from pain or being afraid, before settling again while he cleaned her cut. He was so gentle on her skin and took care in making sure he carefully cleaned the surface.

“There,” he exhaled, pulling the wipe back. “All clean.”

It was then Betty realized exactly how close he was. He had stepped between her legs and his lips were almost grazing her head. 

Slowly, he leaned in and blew a soft puff of air over her cut to dry the alcohol before placing the bandage on. Once adhered, he didn’t back away or remove himself from her personal space, but instead dropped his eyes down to hers, his nose so close that it grazed her own.

“Feel better?” he asked her softly, his bottom lip brushing her top one as he spoke.”

“I-”

A series of pounding and sharp knocks sounded at the bathroom door.

“Aunt Betty?” she heard Junie’s voice call. “Aunt Betty, are you okay? We are SO sorry.”

Taking pity on their little voices, she offered Jughead an apologetic smile before hopping down to let them in. Both her niece and nephew embraced her hips and apologized again and again.

“I’m fine, guys,” she reassured them. “It was an accident. Now let’s go get some cookies and hot cocoa. I owe Uncle Juggie a glass.”

…..

Dinner was the fanciest event Jughead had ever attended. Apparently, Christmas Eve with the Cooper’s required black pants and a button-down shirt, his hair combed neatly as well. Betty looked radiant in an emerald green dress while Polly and Alice had opted for red and black ones. 

Veronica, of course, had worn an iridescent gold dress and had gotten Archie a matching bow tie, while Mary had gone with simple black.

His father showed up on time, a Christmas miracle in itself, still wearing his Sheriff’s shirt since he had just gotten off duty. He had made a turnaround in his life when he became sober and was elected Sheriff in Riverdale and Jughead was glad he was there.

They had rebuilt a relationship together, and were on great terms, but were still a bit unconventional. They had never exchanged gifts and usually just hung around, watching television. On occasion, they would get a small tree from a lot on Christmas Eve, but more often than not they didn’t bother. Most years he spent the majority of the break at Betty’s house. He usually showed up Christmas Eve around dessert time to sample all the pies and then would hang around for the rest of their time home, returning to the trailer only at night for sleep and fresh clothes.

“Thanks for having me, Alice,” FP had greeted her. “Usually Jug and I grab take out and crash on the couch watching old movies on Christmas Eve.”

“Nonsense,” Alice had replied. “It’s no trouble at all. The kids are together now so we should all be together as one big family.”

His heart stung again for a moment and he glanced over at Betty recalling their conversation from the previous day. While he was sure that this ploy would end favorably if the stolen moments thus far meant anything, he still worried about Alice being hurt if the truth about their ruse came out.

Alice had made multiple courses for dinner. They had started the night with a cold antipasto with assorted cheeses, meats, olives, and breads along with shrimp with dipping sauces. Next, she served a salad course along with manicotti as their pasta, followed a prime rib for dinner with six different side dishes.

The clang of silverware on china rang out around the table as they chattered about past holidays, funny memories, and Betty and Jughead's new relationship.

“Well, Boy,” FP groaned, wiping his mouth with his napkin before plastering his trademark smirk upon his face, “I’m glad you finally grew a set and kissed our Betty here because this sure beats our usual Christmas dinner.”

“Me too, Dad,” Jug said, still eating. “I suppose it was about time we stopped pretending. Wouldn’t you say so, Betts?”

“I’d say it was long overdue,” she agreed, holding his gaze across the table.

  
  


When the table was cleared, Alice had sent everyone to the living room while she loaded up the dishwasher and packed up the leftovers with Betty and Jughead. Betty had told him to go relax, but he insisted on helping.

Dan put some holiday classics on the Bluetooth speaker and prepared some after-dinner drinks to enjoy by the fire while they laid out dessert on the table.

Alice had really outdone herself this year. There was a chocolate layer cake, eight different cookies, a blueberry pie, an apple pie, and homemade whipped cream. She had also put out ice cream to make the pies a la mode and various toppings for the kids to make sundaes.’

Even though they were all stuffed, they made room for multiple sugary delicacies and tea and coffee. When all the cakes had been cut and cookie trays left in disarray, they returned to the living room so Alice could read  The Night Before Christmas  to the kids before bed.

“...And I heard him exclaim as he flew out of sight, “Merry Christmas to all, and to all a goodnight!”

“Alright little ones,” Dan called, picking up Dagwood and tossing him over his shoulder. “It’s bedtime!”

Polly wrangled Juniper and led her towards the steps as well as everyone wished the kids goodnight. FP ducked out then, too. He had agreed to work a bit that night so his colleague could attend midnight mass. Mary, Archie, and Veronica had also retreated back across the street to prepare breakfast for the next day and set up a few things before their extended family arrived for dinner as well.

When the kids were in bed, the adults started loading up gifts from Santa under the tree before getting ready to exchange gifts themselves. Once the kids had started visiting for the holidays, Alice had made Christmas morning all about them. They exchanged their own gifts the night before so they could just enjoy watching them play before church on Christmas Day, sometimes saving one gift to open each in front of the kids.

Before the gift exchange, they all got comfortable, changing into pajamas after a long day. Betty emerged from her bathroom with red pants with lightbulbs on them and a white long sleeve t-shirt with Rudolph’s face with a light bulb nose.

“Cute, Betts,” Jughead teased her. “Are those from when you were seven?”

“Don’t laugh mister,” she said, poking him in the chest. “Besides, do you really think I look the same as I did when we were seven?”

Jughead dragged his eyes down her length, lingering a bit longer than intended on where Rudolph’s antlers ended before meeting her eyes again.

“Let’s just say I didn’t look at seven-year-old Betty the way I look at twenty-five year old Betty,” he said, his voice low and deliberate as his hands gripped her hips.

“Oh really?” she joked back. “Are you just noticing the changes now, Forsythe?”

He took one more long, lingering look at her, his hands moving up to rest at her collarbone, before smiling wryly. “Oh no, Elizabeth. Believe me when I say I’ve very-much been noticing for years and I like what I see.”

A small hitch of breath caught in the back of her throat and the skin by her neck began to goosebump a bit at his touch. With a smug smile, he dropped his hands and sauntered off towards the bathroom.

“Jug?” she called cheekily from behind him.

As he turned he was smacked in the face by a pile of red and white.

“Matching Christmas jammies,” she explained at his sheer look of horror. “Couples who jam together, stay together,” she added with a wink.

“See you downstairs, Juggie.”

…..

Since Alice had been cooking all day, they insisted she go first. Polly and Dan and gotten her a new winter coat, some silk pajamas, and tickets to a concert she had mentioned a few months back.

“We figured you could always take Mary if you wanted,” Polly explained. “Always better to have company.”

“Thank you, guys,” she smiled warmly, before opening the gifts from Betty and Jughead.

Betty had picked up some scented candles, bath bombs, assorted lotions, wine, and a gift card to a nearby spa for a relaxing facial and massage.

“Oh, Betty, Jug,” Alice gushed. “You have no idea how much I needed this. Maybe my girls will join me and we can make it a day.”

“You don’t have to ask me twice,” Polly insisted.

Polly and Dan swapped next. She had gotten him tickets to a few football games and he had gotten her a new purse and some perfume she had been eyeing.

Alice had gotten clothes for all of them. She usually was the biggest contributor to their wardrobes. Jughead had to admit she had picked out some nice work pieces for him that were not totally out of his style and comfort zone.

“Okay! Last but not least, our new found lovebirds!” Alice said, taking a small sip of the wine she was still nursing from earlier.

“I’ll go first,” Betty offered, picking up a couple of beautifully wrapped packages with his name on them.

“This one first,” she said, handing him a rectangular package. 

Tearing off the paper, he found a brown box taped shut inside. He used his fingernail to slice open the packaging to find six bags of coffee beans.

“It’s called biohazard coffee,” Betty explained. “I’m told it’s the strongest coffee on the market.”

“Better than ambrosia on Mt. Olympus,” he sighed. “Thanks, Betts.”

His next package contained a new coffee bean grinder and a Lego mug so he could build while he drank.

“It’s supposed to help when you have writer’s block,” she explained. “Plus, I get you a mug every year so…” she droned off shyly.

“It’s perfect,” he reassured her. “Thank you.”

His next package held a new copy of Writer’s Market, a book with publishing contacts and tips for freelancers and independent writers. His old one was out of date and he’d gotten plenty of return to sender and address unknown mail lately.

The second to last package was clearly a clothing box. Opening it he found a  Shadowhunters t-shirt from his favorite show, runic symbols surrounding one larger rune in the center.

Last, she handed him a thin, green package, her motions a bit nervous and hesitant.

“I made this one myself,” she told him. “I hope it’s not- well, just open it and see.”

Tearing back the paper, he lifted the lid and then paused. His hands didn’t move and he didn’t look up either. The only recognition that he even registered what was inside was the slight twitch of his eye.

“Juggie?” she called nervously.

“What is it, Jughead?” Alice asked him curiously, sitting forward in her chair to see better.

Tentatively, he lifted the small, gray knitted hat out of the box and held it up for them to see.

“That looks just like that old hat you  _ always  _ wore,” Polly said baffled. “Is it the same one?”

“I knitted it,” Betty explained. “I started knitting to help relieve stress and this was one of the first things that came to mind. I hope it’s alright- I-”

She stopped speaking as he rose and walked over to her, pulling her up from the sofa to hug her; a large, bear-like hug that ended with him shaking her back and forth.

“It’s the best gift I’ve ever received,” he said, placing the hat on his head. “I promise I won’t wear it all the time like I used to, though.”

Betty visibly relaxed, letting out a long, drawn-out sigh against him before settling back down on the couch.

“Your turn,” he said, grabbing a few packages from under the tree, the wrapping less than perfect.

The first package contained a water bottle that looked more like a flask. It was thin and clear and an unusual shape.

“It’s to travel,” he explained. “It’s TSA approved, can fit easily in a purse or in the chair pocket in front of you on a plane. I remember you had to Chuck your bottle last time you flew for work and then the cup of water you got on the flight spilled all over your skirt.”

“Thank you, Juggie,” she grinned. “This will come in handy.”

The next package felt heavy and hard. She squinted at him playfully and knocked on the box before tearing off the paper.

Inside was a wooden, carved jewelry box. She recognized some of the faces on it. They were famous female journalists from history.

“It’s part of a fundraiser,” he explained. “The proceeds went to the Committee to Protect Journalists. I thought you’d appreciate that.”

“Jug,” she gushed. “It’s beautiful. I love it.”

“Open the box, Betts,” he pressed.

Lifting the lid, Betty found a beautiful rose gold necklace with rectangular stones, all jutting out in different directions. The necklace was attached to a square of paper that had an explanation of the meaning written on it.

_ Beautifully Broken _

_ Let go of the idea of perfection — you are not perfect, you are real. Let yourself be flawed, and allow yourself to make mistakes. Recognize that you’re not always going to have it all together. Sometimes your heart is going to break, you are going to get hurt, you are going to feel pain. Don’t apologize for being broken — every time you break you become a little more alive. You become more open with yourself. You become exposed to your sensibility. Every crack tells you a little more about yourself — your strength, your courage, your tenacity — what you’re made of. Do not hide these pieces from the world, they are a part of who you are. You see, the most beautiful people are beautifully broken. Their hearts are heavy but they love the deepest. They have seen the dark but they appreciate everything that shines. They’re compassionate, understanding, and empathetic. Beautiful hearts just don’t happen — and you, my dear, are going to show the world just how beautiful you are. _

By the time she finished reading, she was crying mess. They weren’t heaving tears of sadness, but more like tears of relief and happiness and just an overwhelming sense of love.

“Jug,” she sniffled, sliding herself up from the couch to come and perch on the arm of his chair.

“Open the last one, Betts,” he said softly, excited and nervous for all the sentiment he poured into her gifts this year.

As her shaking fingers opened the last box, Alice and Polly passed her necklace back and forth between them. Polly’s gaze was laced with a tinge of jealousy, but Alice’s was warm and locked on Jughead.

“Juggie?” Betty’s confused voice drew them all back together. “What is this?”

She held up the item which resembled a viewfinder toy from their childhood, a content smile on her face as she looked at him inquisitively.

“It is a viewfinder,” he explained. “Remember when we were kids we would look through it like binoculars and pretend we were exploring all those far off places together?”

Biting her lip, Betty nodded fondly.

“Well, I saw this and it brought back such good memories that I had to get one,” he shared. “Look inside.”

Raising the viewfinder to her eyes, Betty’s breathing once again thickened with emotion. There were no far off places in this viewfinder, just warm ones closer to home. The reel was created with old photos of them.

Betty and Jughead on the playground.  _ Click.  _ Betty, Archie, and Jughead hanging out of the old treehouse.  _ Click.  _ The four of them, Veronica now present, smiling in a booth at Pop’s.  _ Click.  _ Betty and Jughead dancing together at prom.  _ Click.  _ All four of them lounging by the pool on a vacation Veronica had planned.  _ Click.  _ Betty passed out on his lap after her twenty-first birthday.

The photos continued as she clicked through them all, her heart swelling with each memory she came across. Placing the viewfinder down beside her, she shifted sideways on the chair’s arm to place a palm on his cheek.

“I- I just thought you’d like it- I-” he jabbered nervously, but never got to finish. With a shake of her head, Betty scooted down off the arm to straddle his lap, slid her arms up around his neck, and planted her lips firmly on his.

The kiss wasn’t a peck. He could taste the salt of her tears and feel the smile on her lips as she kissed him over and over again, many years worth of emotion pouring into him from her and vice versa.

His hands came up and wrapped around her back to pull her in closer and his left hand drifted upward to tangle in her hair.

Alice, with a look of pure happiness and relief, gestured with one eyebrow and a knowing grin, for Dan and Polly to head up to bed with her, leaving them alone with the tree and the fire as their only company.

It seemed as if their kiss would never end. They didn’t need oxygen or space; they just needed more of each other. Her hands were now braced against his chest and squashed between them as he bit on her lower lip gently, drawing it open so their tongues could mingle for the first time.

A deep shudder ran through her at the contact and Jughead swore he was now a holy man. He was worshipping at the temple that was Betty Cooper and he was devout.

They broke only for a second, their lips still brushing as if they couldn’t bear to separate for even a moment. He could smell the sweet rose of her perfume filling his senses and his lips lingering with a taste of the mulled wine and spices that had lingered on her lips from earlier.

Finally opening his eyes, they met her large, green ones, both sets of eyes smiling back at one another with something else lingering there as well.

“You know,” he grinned, his hand skimming its way down her cheek. “I had told myself I was going to kiss you before the week was up and here you go and beat me to it.”

With her eyes aglow with sheer joy, Betty grinned radiantly back at him.

“I always liked to surprise you, Juggie. Someone has to keep you on your toes.”

“This was never a farce for me, Betty,” he shared suddenly and honestly. “With you, it never could be anything but real.”

“Juggie,” she choked out, happy tears once again filling her eyes. “I was so worried that this would ruin us, but I’m so happy we finally were truthful.”

“Speaking of truthful,” he said softly. “And in the spirit of being totally honest, I should tell you that I love you. That I have for years and that for me, it’s always been you.”

Betty gripped him fiercely and her heart beat erratically as she burrowed her face into his neck and inhaled him deeply.

He had hoped for an immediate response in the form of words. Self-consciously, he rubbed at the back of his neck and nervously joked, “Too much too soon?”

With her lips brushing the shell of his ear, she whispered, “I love you, too. It’s always been you for me too, Jug. Always.”

Their kiss this time was much slower, with less need and more curious exploration. He noticed that she swooned a bit with each tug of her hair that he gave and she found that he deepened their kisses when she skimmed her fingers down his neck. 

Her face was soft and serene, shadowed by the light of the tree and conveyed nothing but affection and longing. Her lips, swollen and pink, with the glazed over look in her hooded, green eyes, was something he was sure he would never forget.

The clock on the mantle ticked, the log on the fire crackled down to a semi-lit ember, all the while their lips danced and smiled as they made up for lost time.

At some point, much later in the night, they had made their way up to bed. Betty had curled up on his chest, his one arm wrapped around the back of her head and the other resting across her hip as they simply lay there, exchanging soft kisses and giggling at small jokes teased in between. 

It was enough for now. It had taken them years to reach this point and there was no reason to rush the slow and tentative exploration of each other. The rest would come with time as they journeyed together on this newfound path their relationship had taken.

“Can I still call you my boyfriend,” she had asked after a while, her thumb retracing its way across his lips.

“I’m never letting you call another man boyfriend again as long as I live,” he confirmed, pecking her softly on the nose.

“We should get some sleep,” she sighed sadly. “Though all I want to do now is kiss you.” 

She offered him one last, long lazy kiss before resting her head on him again.

“Sleep, Betts,” she whispered. “We have all the time in the world.”

…..

**Wednesday, December 25th**

They were up early the next morning, the kids tearing through presents and running through the house with yells of joy and excitement. The adults sat gathered around on the couch, drinking steaming mugs of coffee while watching and laughing as they tore open each new package. 

When the presents were done and Juniper and Dagwood were off playing, Polly and Alice flipped through Jughead’s viewfinder as they hadn’t seen it the night before.

“I was dying to look,” Polly confessed, “but someone needed privacy.”

Betty blushed at her sister’s implications before rolling her eyes and lacing her fingers through Jughead’s own.

“Well, Jughead,” Polly nodded. “It seems like you win the award for Best Gift this year.”

Alice smiled widely and looked down into her coffee cup.

“Oh, I wouldn’t say that,” she said sneakily, taking another sip of the hot liquid.

“Mom?” Betty asked baffled.

“I think I win Best Gift, because it was a gift to us all,” she explained.

“Your cooking was out of this world, Mrs. Cooper,” Jughead agreed. “I’d say that was a gift.”

“It’s Alice now, Jughead,” she told him. “And that’s not the gift I’m talking about.”

They all exchanged confused glances, sans Alice who was still smiling like the Mad Hatter.

“Let’s just say that one well-placed phone call and a little help from Veronica may have given me, and you two, something we’ve all been waiting on for a very long time.”

Betty’s eyes blew open wide and Jughead’s mouth dropped before hugging out a genuine laugh.

“Mom- you guys didn’t. I mean you- you planned this? You knew the whole time?” Betty stuttered out.

“It was about damn time, don’t you think?” Alice asked, hoping her daughter wasn’t mad at her meddling.

Jughead pecked a kiss on the top of Betty’s head before looking over to Alice again.

“You’re right,” he said. “It was about damn time and you really did set up the best gift.”

Just then the front door flung open and Veronica Lodge appeared. 

“Merry Christmas,” she huffed out breathing heavily before looking to Alice. “Picture for proof.”

Alice handed over her phone to Veronica to see Betty nestled in Jughead’s lap, lips locked on his own.

“Yes!” Veronica grunted out, tipping her head back in silent thanks. “About damn time.”

“V!” Betty gasped out in embarrassment. “I can’t believe you guys!”

“No, B,” Veronica said flatly. “I can’t believe  _ you  _ guys. All those years of repressed tension. I would not have wanted to be a fly on your wall last night.”

Betty’s face flushed tomato colored and Jughead could not meet Alice’s gaze. They knew the teasing was all in good fun, so after a moment they laughed as well.

Veronica hugged them both, so happy that they had finally been honest with each other, before running back across the street for Christmas breakfast with the Andrews.

Polly and Dan went to play with the kids and Alice headed into the kitchen to start their breakfast as well.

“Happy?” Betty asked him once they were alone, poking at the Rudolph head on his matching pajamas.

“The happiest I’ve ever been,” he confirmed before leaning over to give her a soft kiss.

“Merry Christmas, Girlfriend,” he teased.

“Merry Christmas, Boyfriend,” she sighed happily as her lips met his once again.

  
  
  
  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The necklace Jughead gives Betty is actually a real piece of jewelry as was the jewelry box which is no longer available. Check out the necklace here!
> 
> https://www.bryananthonys.com/products/beautifully-broken-necklace?variant=22232121737297¤cy=USD&gclid=Cj0KCQiA_rfvBRCPARIsANlV66OiSjxpdqanyvnx2jf6Gn9jVYuxTzzoWd-WJx9hBwfFzbJygcHCLgMaAsf-EALw_wcB


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